Hey all! It’s been such a long time since we’ve done a grab bag giveaway and you all deserve some boxes of books.
That’s right! I said boxes!
Right now, we have six (6) boxes of relatively new releases to give out!
The books included are new, finished copies, unread, and printed on paper. We can also promise there will be at least five books, possibly more, in each box.
Each box will have a mix of subgenres. Genres include contemporary romance, historical fiction, and historical romance. While we hope the box you receive contains a subgenre or author you enjoy, we also have our fingers crossed that you’ll love trying something new. And as always, our mission statement is to share the love and share the romance.
To enter, tell us what book has brought you joy this year!
Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and ready to read read read. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Boxes will contain books. If you’re lucky, maybe a stray hair from one of our very helpful pets. Entries will end around noon on Sunday 26 September 2021, and winners will be announced and notified shortly afterward.
Good luck, everyone!
Winner update: Below is the list of winners for our boxes of books! Thank you all for entering and I hope you’ve found even more books to add to your TBR pile in the comments.
Winners, be sure to check your inboxes and spam folders for an email from me!
I’ve really been enjoying the Posie Parker mysteries by L.D. Hathaway, and the Perveen Mistry mysteries by Sujata Massey. They’re both just the right blend of intrigue and a view of a different time period, with a bright main character who is respected for their skills.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
I loved this so much, and just recently realized it was part of a series, so now I need to get the others
Unsticky by Sarra Manning brought me back to life and ever since I have finished it, I am continuously going back to reread parts of it. It is the perfect may-december / mistress romance for me and I am struggling to find more.
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire was perfect reading for this year. October overcomes the hardships with her found family.
Battle Royal and The Austen Project by Lucy Parker. The characters acting maturely (at least by my perception) and the lack of A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING also made me happy. I’ve also kind of fallen down the rabbit hole of Pride & Prejudice variations lately and have enjoyed a few of those.
I just finished the first Muderbot Diaries, and I can’t believe it took me so long to read them! Definitely going to devour the rest.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, which I bought because of the SBTB review and pulled me out of my reading slump.
John Eyre by Mimi matthews. It’s jane eyre meets Dracula and who doesn’t love that.
BREAKING BADGER by Shelly Laurenston. I giggled, I snort-laughed, I chuckled, I laughed out loud while flopping around on my mattress. In 2021, that’s priceless—totally worth paying full price and not waiting months and months for it to go on sale. (Though I wish the audiobook wasn’t geo blocked—the rest of the badger books aren’t, why is this one?)
I’m currently rereading Ilona Andrews Burn For Means the rest of the hidden legacy series which just make me so happy to read.
Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. Really enjoyed this book.
Finally took SBTB’s recommendation to read the Penric and Desdemona series by Lois McMaster Bujold, and am enjoying them a lot. Need stories of kind people right now.
Alpha, and the rest of the Ghost Mountain shifter series by Audrey Faye. Lovely community building after significant previous trauma. I enjoyed spending time in this world.
KJ Charles’ Subtle Blood was everything I wanted for an end to that series.
And of course Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake.
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown was wonderful. Pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot kidnaps renown chef, Owen Wedgewood. Funny and painful and brutal and yet gentle to the core. It has given me a blueprint for how to deal with loss without losing the joy of love. Probably not for everyone, but definitely my jam.
Peter Cabot Gets Lost (Cat Sebastian, out last week) was extremely sweet and exactly what I was looking for (especially after a week of rereading October Daye books in preparation for that new release; I also very much enjoyed those, but they are at the high end of my mayhem-tolerance range).
The Murderbot books have been an absolute delight!!
“Morning Glory Milking Farm” was a surprise and a delight! At my age (late 50s), I’m glad to see I can read books outside my comfort zone. This one was of my favs of 2021.
Because I’m an angst queen (when it comes to reading), the books that bring me joy are rarely sweet or cozy—even the most even keel will be rocked by a big wave once in a while. One of my favorite “discoveries” this year has been the books of Claire Kingsley—her books have a little more humor than I generally go for, but she tempers that with a lot of emotional interactions. I read her Miles Family and Bailey Brothers series and then went back and read her earlier Jetty Beach series (and I still have some of her other series on my tbr). My favorite Kingsleys are the first two books in the Bailey Brothers series, PROTECTING YOU and FIGHTING FOR US, a duet about the same couple—teenage sweethearts whose future life together looked promising until the hero committed involuntary manslaughter while protecting the heroine from an attempted sexual assault. When he is released from prison years later, the couple discover they will both need to adjust their expectations if they are to achieve their happily-ever-after. So, so good.
@Qualitsign: I loved it too!
(Not commenting for the giveaway.)
I loved Bombshell by Sarah Maclean! So wild! So romantic! So fun!
May I name four? Each is a new-to-me read that brought me joy in 2021, but all were also flawed in ways that prevent a single book from rising triumphantly to the top of the joy-pile.
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood
BATTLE ROYAL by Lucy Parker
CONFESSIONS OF AN ITALIAN MARRIAGE by Dani Collins (a 2020 Harlequin Presents)
SECOND BEST by Noelle Adams (originally published 2017)
Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews going back Atlanta and that world was like a cozy blanket and a warm cup of tea.
The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton. It was so fun, I can’t wait for her next book.
Jasmine’s Guillory’s “While We Were Dating” made me tear up in the best way possible. I also reread the entire Psy-Changling series this year – that’s what got me through this winter!
The sexiest read? You had me at Hola by Alexis Daria.
I recently finished “The Hands of the Emperor” by Victoria Goddard and it was so comforting and satisfying. It is a ~1000 page SFF character study about a middle-aged bureaucrat that (this particular middle-aged bureaucrat found deeply affirming) about the impact systems, policies and programs have on individuals and society. No romance, but various family and friend relationships are explored. Highly recommended.
T. Kingfisher’s A WIZARD’S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING (plus her Paladin and Clocktaur books). They are all deeply weird and very charming in a totally wonderful way.
Definitely Sharon Shinn’s Troubled Waters. I’ve read it three times since April and I finally had to just buy my own copy.
The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick was the right book and the right time. It was the soothing book necessary for my stressful month.
There have been a few books that have brought me joy this year, but most recently was A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. She wrote the Wayfarers series, which was what I’d call Quiet Scifi, in which some beings just live their lives and things happen, and not all of them are good, but also not all of them are bad.
And now she’s written A Psalm for the Wild-Built, in which a monk dispenses tea to the world and meets a robot. It is also Fuzzy Scifi and I need the second book right now.
So far my favorite has been Bidding for the Bachelor by Jackie Lau.
My first book of the year was The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue and it’s still my favourite of 2021
Ngozi Ukazu’s Check Please was the great discovery of the summer and not only has given me joy, but also led me to discover fanfiction which is basically joy that keeps on giving. Sarina Bowen’s Him is another wonderful read that has given a lot of joy and enjoyment. I’ve basically done nothing but re-read both of those books (and fanfiction) the last couple of months.
I really enjoyed reading The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. Not a romance but a very layered, interesting story.
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T. Kingfisher
Not a romance, but it was just a fun read. Convinced my mom to read it too, and she agrees.
I keep flipping back and forth between The Murderbot Diaries and Paladin’s Grace/Paladin’s Strength. Nothing makes me happier than fantastic world building.
I see that someone else also said the Murderbot Diaries, so I’ve been flipping between that and reading Little Women aloud to my partner.
So far this year, I’ve really enjoyed NAVIGATING THE STARS by Maria V. Snyder and BATTLE ROYAL by Lucy Parker.
I’ve been rather on a book slump for a while, but Lucy Parker’s Battle Royal went straight onto my list of comfort reads.